Attorney General Merrick Garland named US Attorney for Delaware David Weiss as special counsel to continue the Justice Department’s investigation into Hunter Biden. Weiss has been at the helm of the DOJ’s efforts for several years already and has recently been the subject of speculation in Congress as whistleblowers testify that he was denied the ability to press for charges.
Announcing the appointment, Garland said the prosecutor had informed him on Tuesday that the investigation had “reached the stage” where the powers of a special counsel were necessary to continue. He further stated that Mr. Weiss would – due to his new status – be able to bring charges in any jurisdiction.
This decision comes after testimony from IRS supervisory agent Gary Shapley, who said that Weiss had been blocked from pressing charges by DC US Attorney Matthew Graves. Many pundits and commentators will be speculating whether making Weiss a special counsel means that the testimony was, in fact, accurate.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) previously made his thoughts clear on such an appointment. He said:
“I strongly oppose the appointment of a special counsel. I think that’s the most ridiculous idea that any Republican could think right now because, if you support a special counsel, you support and trust Merrick Garland to have the sole authority to pick one person who can then take over the investigation and never have to be transparent with the media or Congress until the conclusion of the investigation, which might take years.”
The investigation under Weiss will likely continue to look at foreign business dealings, drug use, and possible tax issues. However, early critics contend that such an examination will almost certainly take a long time to complete, thereby pushing the whole affair to either past the 2024 election, or to just before it – at which point, it would be against long-standing protocol to release the final report until after the election.
